Kindling the Fire
by Regularamanda
Summary: Sam comes back from her stint on The Hammond...and the fire is kindled. Angst, fluff and a bit of gutter. Sam and Jack Established. T warning for safety.


_Author's Note- Not much plot to this…just some gutter and angst…with, of course, some fluff. I gave it a T rating for safety. _

**Kindling the Fire**

A flash of light filled the house on the outskirts of Washington DC and Colonel Samantha Carter took a moment to allow her vision to adjust to the sudden darkness. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and a grin tilted the corners of her mouth.

She was home.

There had been a dull ache in her chest ever since she'd taken command of _The Hammond_. It stayed with her through the day, and seemed to increase tenfold late at night when she retired to her quarters. It was in the quiet and the stillness that she missed the strong arms and the sound of his voice. As her eyes took in the tidy house and the familiar scents of home, that dull ache finally fled.

Her feet soon carried her down the hallway and to the master bedroom. Her grin widened as she leaned against the doorframe and took in the sight of the man she loved. Moonlight spilled in from the windows, catching on the white and silver of his hair. He laid curled up in bed, dressed in his boxer shorts and hockey t-shirt, with his hands laying under his head. His soft snores filled the otherwise silent room and she loathed to wake him.

"Hi, Jack," she proclaimed softly.

His back immediately went rigid and he was instantly alert. Sam had served with him for far too many years not to know that the man never slept deeply, even if he was alone in his house.

"Carter?" he muttered disbelieving.

"Expecting someone else?" Sam teased with a laugh as she walked closer to the bed.

"No…not that I'm not _ecstatic_ that you're here but I thought _The Hammond_ wasn't getting in till tomorrow…," he mumbled sleepily.

"We pushed the engines a little bit." She hadn't been able to resist beaming down after making sure that everything on the ship had been in order. No, she'd been away for too long to spend one more night alone in her quarters.

Sam quickly took off her shoes before climbing into the warm, soft bed next to Jack. His arm went around her waist to pull her closer against him. Her eyes travelled over his worn features. She'd seen him numerous times through video conferences on _The Hammond_, both professionally and personally. But nothing ever beat seeing those worn features of his in the flesh. She'd seen those eyes and that cocky grin nearly everyday for eight years, then every free chance she had gotten for two more years, and then for far too few times when she was in command of Atlantis. She had long ago realized that those eyes and that grin were the ones she wanted to see every single day for the rest of her life. Her eyes continued scanning his features. She still thought that he was just as handsome as that day when she had walked into the briefing room. His hair might be more white then gray now, and many more laugh lines were etched into his face, but those eyes…those eyes were the same ones that had twinkled back at her across from the table so many years before.

Jack's eyebrows drew together in the dark, "What?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," Sam whispered as her arms tightened more around his neck.

"Hmmm…" he said as he buried his face in the curve of her neck. His fingers brushed her hair away and his lips found the tender spot on the side of her neck.

A gasp escaped her at the brush of his lips and she felt him smirk against the side of her neck. He pulled back slightly before putting his hand where his lips had just been a moment before and kissed her softly on the mouth.

Sam groaned and hurriedly deepened the kiss, not even bothering when she felt him smirk. It was only now, when she was in his arms, that she realized how much she _needed _him. Needed to feel him as close to her as possible, needed to feel his fingers running over her naked curves, needed to make sure that she was in fact, home, rather than one of the many vivid dreams she had had of him over the past few months.

His hands made quick work of her flight suit before making their way under her black t shirt and tank top, his fingers tenderly stroking her. Her hands dug into his hair, feeling the silky strands beneath her fingers.

"Jack…I need you." Sam mumbled softly, knowing he would know exactly what she was referring too.

"Right back at you." He whispered hoarsely into her hair.

His lips made their way down her neck, and she clung to him as his hands tenderly stroked her flesh, the trail of his fingers and lips setting her on fire.

They lost themselves in one another. It had been too long since they'd been together, like this, and neither one was going to miss the opportunity. Their passion was fueled by months of separation and too many close calls. It was fueled by their need for one another that had remained strong. They had both been deprived of the others touch for far too long.

In the morning as sunlight filled the room, her head laid against his shoulder and her fingers traced circles on his chest, her body pressed close to his, she was all too aware that in a few weeks she'd be out on _The Hammond _once more. She would only see him through communications, and that dull ache would once again return. The only time that she'd feel his touch against her skin, would be in her memories, manifested in her dreams.

Her eyes drifted to her alarm clock, knowing that in a few minutes they'd both have to get out of bed and get ready for the day, she realized that that could wait a few short hours.

Right now, the only place in the world she wanted to be was right here, curled up at Jack O'Neill's side.

* * *

_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! _


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